[devilduck]

How big is your tank going to be?

It is difficult to generalize the behavior of gouramis, they can differ from fish to fish. I've never had a problem with them in my tanks, but I keep reading horror stories from other owners. I would buy from a vendor where you can return or have a re-home plan if it becomes too aggressive. The gourami should be the last fish you add to the tank.

I've had some bad luck with dwarf gouramis. I think they are way overbred and suffer from health issues. I've never had one last more than a few months in my tank, its a shame because it's a pretty fish with a lot of personality.

If you're up for a bit more of a challenge, take a look into paradise fish as well. My blue paradise is currently my favorite fish in the tank.

 

[Ivresse]

How big is your tank going to be?

It is difficult to generalize the behavior of gouramis, they can differ from fish to fish. I've never had a problem with them in my tanks, but I keep reading horror stories from other owners. I would buy from a vendor where you can return or have a re-home plan if it becomes too aggressive. The gourami should be the last fish you add to the tank.

I've had some bad luck with dwarf gouramis. I think they are way overbred and suffer from health issues. I've never had one last more than a few months in my tank, its a shame because it's a pretty fish with a lot of personality.

If you're up for a bit more of a challenge, take a look into paradise fish as well. My blue paradise is currently my favorite fish in the tank.

At the moment, I'm unsure the size of the tank. I'm moving into a new flat and it depends really on the space I have.
I'm hoping to have space for a juwel rio 180:
http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product....m_medium=cpc&gclid=CK6GrdrHz7YCFfLKtAodXQsAJg
The diameters are:
Approx W101 x D41 x H50cm

 

[Virto]

Black neons are neat fish, but like most schooling fish, they're kinda jumpy and they like to run and hide when something approaches the tank. If I walk by, they shoot off to a corner and hide behind rotala. If I have a seat for 30 seconds or so, they come back out to pip around.

Dwarf Gourami fish are cool looking, but I am partial to pearls. They're energetic and fun to watch. They'll eat anything they can find - great if you have nematodes free swimming. Mine also bites snails in the face for fun, randomly. Pearls are also very cheap - usually less than half the cost of a DG and they are larger and better able to cope with faster moving water.

By the way, the aforementioned DG health issues - Many DG imported currently suffer from Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus, which lies dormant for a year or two and then atrophies and kills the fish. The fish will usually become lethargic, rest on the bottom and then change color as the flesh dies - sometimes a long and painful death. DGI is known to jump species in some cases - part of the reason I don't mess with DG.

Edit: In fact, I remember a posting from a couple of weeks back where a UK member had a DG that started to color change and died shortly thereafter. DGI is present when the fish are bred in the far East - unless you can find a reputable local breeder, I'd steer clear.

 

[KhanQueso]

Along the lines of aggression, I have kept dwarf gouramis and pearl gouramis and found the pearls to be much less aggressive IME. I can't help you with the banded gourami though.

As Virto said, look for a reputable breeder of dwarf gouramis, two of the three that I've bought (not from a reputable breeder) died within 6 months after purchase.

 

[Indychus]

I have a pair of male DG's and they dont bother my other fish at all. They are aggresive and spar a lot amongst themselves, but never do physical damage. I got them from a friend who breeds them, and (as mentioned above) I would definitely avoid DG that you don't know the history on.

 

[MamaFish]

They aren't the ones you mentioned, but I had Serpae tetras and a Honey gourami together. They completely ignored each other. If you end up with a smaller tank, honey gouramis are a great alternative to larger gouramis like the dwarfs and pearls.

 

[LB79]

Pearl gouramis are fantastic. And they'd be fine with any fish that wouldn't nip the fins or eat them (either piece by piece [puffers] or as a single bite [Malawi eyebiter cichlid]).

 

[jspk]

IME, dwarf gouramis ate some of my plants
I also have balloon pearl gouramis and they are great with my CPD's
My banded gourami grew a little large and I think if he had the opportunity he'd eat anything

 

[OVT]

I have been keeping Pearl gouramis with tetras (neons, cardinals, black neons, etc) for years with no problems. Diamond tetras even manages to spawn and have babies in the same tank.

I find that Pearls do better in a small group, I tend to keep 3 M with 2 F, but you would need a tank like 40B or larger.

via Droid DNA Tapatalk 2

 

[LB79]

40 gallon breeder is a perfect size for a starter. You can do a lot with those dimensions. Good for aquascaping.